Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said having such accomplished seniors took him back to the old days, and indeed, one must dig deep to find the last time his program said farewell to three seniors averaging double-figure points.

It was 1990 with Phil Henderson, Robert Brickey and Alaa Abdelnaby. That group teamed with underclassmen such as Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley to lead the Blue Devils to a third consecutive Final Four after a second-place ACC finish.

With Kelly’s return, the question becomes, what are the chances these seniors lift Duke to similar heights?

For a player whose career began so modestly — he averaged 1.2 points and 1.1 rebounds as a freshman — Kelly has developed into a surprising linchpin. A so-called “stretch” power forward because of shooting range that extends defenses, he’s invaluable on both ends of the floor.

The latter was a 79-76 epic headlined by Kelly’s career-high 36 points in his first game after a 51-day absence.

“I was wondering if there was going to be a hangover (for Kelly) after the Miami (win) because that can happen after not having played,” Plumlee said Tuesday. “But he just came right back (against Virginia Tech) and was just solid.”

Plumlee’s a tough audience. Kelly’s 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists and blocked shot in 31 minutes were a mite better than “solid.”

Kelly hasn’t been Duke’s lone ailing senior. A chronic shin injury has limited Curry’ practice time throughout the season.

“I have nothing to compare it to,” Krzyzewski said of Curry. “All I know is in the middle of September we were told that he might not be able to play this year. His parents and Seth and our medical people took a course of action to really attack the injury and come up with a plan. …

“It’s incredible, really. The thing is, his leg has gotten better. I remember, I was in Chicago recruiting, (and) whenever you look at your phone and it’s your trainer, you know he’s not talking about the trip to Maryland or what hotel we’re going to stay in. Something’s going to be wrong.”

Curry has missed only one game, a Dec. 1 rout of Delaware. He’s yet to approach brother Steph’s recent 54-point performance at Madison Square Garden for the Golden State Warriors, but Kelly’s Miami effort aside, he’s the most likely Blue Devil to erupt for 30-plus.

With four capable 3-point shooters in Kelly, Curry, Quinn Cook and Rasheed Sulaimon, and Plumlee in the post, Duke is capable of a fifth national championship. The four teams to beat the Blue Devils — N.C. State, Miami, Maryland and Virginia — shot a combined 53.3 percent, flagging defense as a potential issue, but again, the 6-foot-11 Kelly’s length and versatility should help there as his conditioning improves.

“That’s only going to come with time,” Kelly said. “I’ve really only had one-and-a-half full practices, and then obviously being in a game is a completely different thing, too.”

Kelly, Plumlee and Curry give Duke a range of postseason experiences that no team can match.

Plumlee and Kelly were freshmen on the 2010 national title team, while Curry sat out after transferring from Liberty. The Blue Devils reached the regional semifinals in 2011 and were bounced in their first NCAA game last season by Lehigh.

“There’s no question that it’s not just becoming a better basketball player — they become men,” Krzyzewski said of the seniors. “They’re going to graduate from Duke. They’re great students, they’re older, they get it. As this goes on over the four years you’re in a program, you’re going to learn more your third and fourth year more because you can receive more. These guys are sponges, and they wanted it.”

With Saturday’s regular-season finale at North Carolina followed by next week’s ACC tournament, where Duke will be the second seed behind Miami, Krzyzewski believes it paramount for his team to rest.

“I think we’re emotionally spent, with the February we had and these last six days,” he said. “We’re not as physically spent as we are emotionally.”

Duke is 26-4, 13-4 in the ACC and sits atop the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index. A No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — it would be the Blue Devils’ 13th, one behind North Carolina’s record — is possible.

“We’re ecstatic about it,” Krzyzewski said of Duke’s position. “We didn’t know if Ryan was going to come back and you didn’t know if Seth would make it this far. … These 10 days or so, we have to get refreshed and we have to integrate Ryan better into what we’re doing.”

I can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at dteel@dailypress.com. Follow me at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP

DURHAM, N.C. — For the second time in two weeks Tuesday, Duke punished Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils again shredded the Hokies' defense, especially from beyond the 3-point arc, committed precious few turnovers and survived Erick Green's nightly soliloquy.

As he sat next to his wife, Sonya, watching their son, Seth, torch Virginia Tech from 3-point range in the first half, Dell Curry never cheered, never rose from his seat behind Duke’s bench and never even clapped his hands.

For the first time in nearly three weeks Thursday, Duke was able to exhale. There was no rematch with North Carolina State, road escape at Boston College, biannual bloodletting against North Carolina or farewell trip to Maryland.

No school gets rich off the NCAA’s basketball fund. Reach the Final Four like Duke and Kentucky? Exit the first weekend like Virginia, Hampton and VCU? Just miss qualifying like Old Dominion and Richmond?

Absent remarkable stamina, a forgiving boss, Dan Patrick’s man cave and Jerry Lucas’ memory, absorbing the NCAA tournament’s 48-games-in-four days opening salvo borders on impossible. You simply need some time to process it all before the regional semifinals commence.